Han Jin-Seong on the phone resumed his report.

—So, yeah, Jin-Ho hyung. Everyone wants to go.

Kang Jin-Ho cocked his brow a little. “Really? That’s good. But what about school?”

He didn’t think missing a few days of schooling would lead to a disaster for the Seongsim kids. However, the Seongsim kids could be rather meticulous about such things. Knowing that, some of them probably wouldn’t want to leave even a trivial red mark on their academic records.

Didn’t they wake up in the morning by themselves to get to school on time? And do their chores without anyone telling them to? Considering all those qualities, even Kang Jin-Ho had to concede that those kids acted more like adults than him sometimes.

Of course, that was excluding Han Jin-Seong.

—Oh, that? It should be fine, though? I heard Chief Lee was calling each and every school to sort it out.

“Really?”

—Yeah. Apparently, schools are fine with kids going to the States for their experiential learning. In fact, they allow up to seven days of absence.

“Is that so? The world has gotten a lot nicer these days, huh...”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t quite recall if a similar scheme also existed back when he was in school. Then again, what did it matter? He didn’t have a reason to travel to another country back then, anyway.

“So everyone can go, then? What about the kids from elementary schools, though?”

—They aren’t all that close to Yu-Min hyung.

What a sad turn of events that was. Once upon a time, Park Yu-Min was revered as the Seongsim Orphanage’s father figure, its most loyal servant, and its do-it-all handyman. So, to think that one day, he’d be treated as a stranger by the Seongsim kids...!

Although, this outcome was inevitable. Even Park Yu-Min had to leave the orphanage, after all. And the best he could do was stop by every once in a blue moon, so expecting the same level of treatment as in the past was being unreasonable.

“Any other issues I should know about?”

—Nah, not really. Actually, the caregiver aunties were super delighted for some reason. They even told the kids to stay in America for as long as humanly possible, too.

Just what were these kids doing to those poor aunties in the orphanage?

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly felt a strong need to visit the orphanage as soon as possible, and as frequently as possible, too!

Since Kang Jin-Ho, Choi Yeon-Ha, and Park Yu-Min had all been too busy to keep the order in the orphanage lately, perhaps the situation deteriorating like that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

—But the aunties also want souvenirs.

Maybe their relationship wasn’t so bad, after all?

“Mm, got it. Then we’ll make the preparation accordingly on our side. As for you, can you help the kids pack their luggage, like their clothes?”

—No sweat, hyung. By the way, there’s this one thing I still don’t understand.

“Yeah? What is it?”

—I’m sure you’ll handle it without a problem, but... Uhm, none of us has a passport, you know? Can you get passports issued in one day? Also, what about visas and stuff?

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in confusion.

“What’s a visa?”

—Oh.

Han Jin-Seong’s lengthy sigh leaked out from the phone’s speaker.

***

“Here! They! Are! All the passports, sir! And I even got the visas approved, too!”

“...?” Kang Jin-Ho dazedly stared at the stack of passports Lee Hyeon-Su had dumped on his desk with some force. “I didn’t know passports could come out this quickly?”

Lee Hyeon-Su asked weirdly. “Why would it take time, sir?”

“Han Jin-Seong told me stuff like this usually takes a while.”

“Fuu...!” Lee Hyeon-Su let out a soft but quick sigh, then stood triumphantly before Kang Jin-Ho. “Sir, did you forget who I am! I’m Lee Hyeon-Su, the Martial Assembly’s most capable man!”

Kang Jin-Ho made a mental note never to discuss “capabilities” and “competence” in front of Lee Hyeon-Su ever again. Not even as a joke, either!

How could a man be so small-minded about being called incompetent once?

Lee Hyeon-Su continued to explain. “I got the Korean government to assist. When I phoned them, they were like, Sir, you don’t have to come here personally. We’ll quickly print out the passports and deliver them to your doorstep! As for the visas, the Korean government people directly called the American embassy to request for an emergency approval. Which they got.”

“Really? How is that possible, though?”

“Nothing is impossible in South Korea, sir!”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho was freshly reminded of why South Korean people were so obsessed with the idea of success. Here was the reason why everyone wanted to become successful!

“Still, isn’t there a law against stuff like this?”

“No, sir. We’re not technically breaking any laws here. Most people mistakenly think that chaebols have zero qualms about breaking laws like this. But in reality? Successful people are more likely to exploit the loopholes in the law to maximize benefits for themselves. How unfortunate that the masses aren’t aware of these exploits.”

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked derisively.

“Although, as someone receiving the preferential treatment, I’m not in any position to whine about the legality of it all.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “But we still haven’t decided who’s going, and Miss Yeon-Ha still hasn’t decided yet, either?”

“None of that matters, sir! Even if you got the visa and whatnot, you can just choose not to go, and that would be the end of it. Not using your passport doesn’t get you into legal trouble, after all.”

What a stunning way of looking at things that was.

Sometimes, Kang Jin-Ho found himself barely keeping up with Lee Hyeon-Su’s thought process. If he had been in charge of this matter, he would have never come up with a solution like this. He was sure of that much, at least!

“Okay, that’s that. What about our plane tickets, though?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, sir.”

“Really? I hope you didn’t mess that one up.”

“Of course not, sir. I just rented out an entire plane instead.”

“...?” Kang Jin-Ho stared weirdly at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Hang on a minute? Can you even find a plane to rent this quickly?”

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked deeply. “I figured getting the authorities to help me out in this case could complicate the matters somewhat, so I got in touch with several airlines directly. Also, I had a hunch that asking the government to find a plane for us might result in things like, say, poorly maintained sub-standard planes and rubbish in-flight services.”

“I see. So? What did the rental companies say?”

“All of them said no, but when I mentioned tripling the price, one of them became very eager to cooperate, sir.”

“What? Triple... the price?”

“Yes, sir,” Lee Hyeon-Su replied with a satisfied grin etched on his face.

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced. Hang on? Isn’t that, like, the Assembly’s shared funds...? I know you’re the Chief of Administration and all, but spending that money so willy-nilly on a private matter is a bit...

“Oh, before you misunderstand the situation, sir. I’ve already filed this under your personal expenditure with the accounting.”

Well, at least Lee Hyeon-Su had a bit of common sense.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded slightly. “I see. So you didn’t run into issues while making payments, did you?”

“No, sir. I paid using your card, and everything went through.”

“...??”

Huh? Why are you using my card to pay for stuff? When it’s my card?

Besides, how high is the spending limit on my card, anyway? No, before all that...!

Kang Jin-Ho asked incredulously. “I had a credit card in my name?”

“Yes, sir. I had one prepared earlier. I thought it’d come in handy one day.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s cheeks twitched in shock just then.

He heard that protecting one’s personal information was more important than ever in the 21st century, and he finally understood what that meant now. Wasn’t this basically the same as getting robbed in broad daylight?!

“Things all worked out quickly and smoothly this time thanks to me having the foresight to prepare things in advance, sir. Kekeke, isn’t this proof of my genius? My capabilities?”

Kang Jin-Ho reminded himself once more never to talk about Lee Hyeon-Su’s capabilities.

“I’m curious about something here, okay?”

Lee Hyeon-Su stopped cackling and quizzically looked back. “Sir? What is it?”

“When you were getting that card under my name, how could you get it without my consent? How is that even possible?”

“Oh, that. Things like registration forms exist for a reason, sir. And it’s to simplify the process as much as possible. When we’re talking about someone on your level, all I need to do is produce a detailed statement of your account, and the bank will print out a black card on their own for us.”

“...”

Well, sure. I guess that’s possible. Fine. However...!

“Why do you have my card, then? Once it’s been issued, shouldn’t you have given it to me?”

“That’s a strange thing to say. Tell me, sir. Have you ever seen chairpersons of major corporations paying for stuff with their cards before?”

Of course Kang Jin-Ho hadn’t. How could he when he hadn’t met any of those chairpersons before? Hwang Jeong-Hu was obviously excluded from this category, since he was a bit of a unique case.

“No, you haven’t, because it’s their secretaries that handle all the payments,” said Lee Hyeon-Su. “And I’m practically your secretary, aren’t I?”

“Well... Technically, yes.”

“Then it’s obvious that I must look after your black card, sir.” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Something about that argument didn’t make sense, but at the same time, it somehow did!

Kang Jin-Ho stared at Lee Hyeon-Su in flabbergast, but eventually resigned himself and accepted the situation.

“Sure thing. Nice work.”

“Thank you.”

Who cared which road they took as long as they reached the destination in the end? Of course, this particular road seemed a bit bumpy, and weird events kept happening along the way, but still...

As long as the result was good, it should be fine, no?

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “Then... Is all the preparations finished?”

“Not yet, sir. I’m still trying to find a place to stay for everyone. But this shouldn’t take long, since there are plenty of hotels in LA.”

“Got it.”

Since Lee Hyeon-Su said so, it must be true.

“As for the mode of transport once you reach the States, I’m thinking of hiring a bus, sir. But we also need someone to act as a guide. Finding a trustworthy person for that job is taking a bit longer than expected, unfortunately.”

“Oh... Sure. I guess so.”

At this rate, Lee Hyeon-Su might even start packing lunchboxes next!

“I think we can sort that out after arriving in the States,” said Kang Jin-Ho. “I can handle that much, so don’t worry about it.”

“I know, sir. That’s why my plan is to get another guide if the one I found isn’t up to snuff. I can’t chaperon all those kids by myself, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho froze for a moment there before looking weirdly at Lee Hyeon-Su again. “Huh?”

Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head. “Sir? What’s the matter?”

“Wait. You’re coming, too?”

“Of course! Were you thinking of sewing these clothes with only a needle and no thread?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression crumpled. Since when did you become my thread?

“Hold on? Is there a need for you to follow me, though? I speak passable English, and besides, don’t you have a mountain of work to deal with, too?”

Lee Hyeon-Su tutted. “Have you ever been to the States, sir?”

“No.”

The only country I’ve been to is China, though. Oh, wait. I also briefly went to Japan, didn’t I?

“Sir, American culture is shockingly different from ours. If you think speaking proficient-enough English will be enough... You’ll be in for a rude awakening.”

“Oh, really now? Then, have you ever been to America yourself?”

“Me? Of course not.”

“...”

“...”

And Kang Jin-Ho was supposed to trust this guy?

“In that case, how do you know so much about American culture?”

“By consuming hours upon hours of American TV shows, of course. Would you like me to recommend you a few?”

No, I’m good, thanks.

I’m definitely good over here, okay!

Kang Jin-Ho groaned loudly. However, that still wasn’t enough to change the determined look on Lee Hyeon-Su’s face.

“There are other issues to consider, sir, that necessitate my presence. First of all, you need to contact the airline. Then call South Korea while we’re there. And most of all, there’s the matter of procuring the tickets to the tournament, as well. My apologies for saying this, but I don’t think you’re patient enough to go around meeting all those people to get their tickets. Sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? You didn’t get the tickets?”

“No, sir. They were all sold out a long time ago. So I had to track down the ticket holders to purchase the tickets from them instead. When I said I’d be paying them thirty times the original amount, they all instantly became very willing entrepreneurs.”

“...”

“It’s a profitable trade for all parties involved, wouldn’t you say? Of course, you will be paying for those tickets, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su was the reason why ticket scalpers were still a thing these days. Still, his capabilities should be acknowledged, at least.

Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply. “Fine. You can come with us. Then, that takes care of all the problems, right?”

“Actually... No, sir. We still have one more issue to think about. And it’s the most important one.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “What is it?”

“It’s related to what I said earlier, sir. I’ve been wondering if we should take another person with us, just in case.”

“What you said earlier? Which is?”

“The culture, sir.”

“...?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in confusion. “Hang on? If you want to take someone with us because of that, shouldn’t other tourists visiting the USA also form a large party to...”

“I’m not talking about the tourist things, sir. No, it’s related to the American martial society.”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho paused and blinked away at that unexpected term. “America also has a martial society?”

“Why wouldn’t it, sir? America’s first settlers came from the UK, after all. It wouldn’t be strange for the American martial artists to share broadly similar cultures to their UK counterparts.”

Kang Jin-Ho dazedly nodded. He still hadn’t wrapped his head around what he just heard, but since Lee Hyeon-Su said so, he should just accept it as-is!

But when he tried to think about it some more, something about it didn’t make much sense to him.

He cocked his head and asked, “Why would that be a problem, though?”

“Of course it will be a problem, sir. Because the one about to enter the United States of America will be you.”

“So what?”

“I mean, everyone in the martial world knows who you are, sir. And that includes the folks on the other side of the planet. I’m sure even they will recognize you instantly.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “It was to that extent?”

“Yes, sir. It might not be the case in some other countries, but it’s definitely true in America. Those people are crazy about collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information, you see? They might know more about you than the Chinese, even!”

“Seriously?”

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled slightly. “Yes, sir. While applying for your visas, I was wondering if the Americans would even issue one for you. But they issued it right away, which could mean one of two things. One, the folks at the American embassy don’t know who you are... Or they know and want to observe you from close by.”

Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded.

The United States of America and martial arts? Something about those two terms didn’t seem to mix all that well.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Who were you thinking of taking along with us, then?”

“Someone who might know about the American martial arts scene, someone who is familiar with their culture and can help us avoid creating friction with them... We already know a person like that, sir.”

“...Oh. You’re right.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded again. For sure, the Martial Assembly already enjoyed the services of an individual meeting all those criteria, now didn’t it?